Sports reporter

STEVE PRICE could well be remembered as the meat in the sandwich provided by two of the greatest coaches in league history.

Having begun his coaching tenure as the heir to the greatest coach in the history of the game, Price's fate rests in the hands of the man many consider the most brilliant man-manager of the modern era.

The problem with being the successor to Wayne Bennett at a club like St George Illawarra is the fact expectation doesn't change whether your resume´ boasts 24 or 657 games.

That expectation has forced the hand of the Dragons hierarchy to lure Craig Bellamy to the club on a multimillion-dollar deal after Price's side missed the finals for the first time in five years last season.

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While it's unlikely Bellamy will walk away from the formidable empire he's helped build in Melbourne over the past decade, Price remains a man under pressure.

This is his final year of a two-year contract he signed on the back of a decade-long apprenticeship with the club and a glowing recommendation from his predecessor. But he doesn't come across as a man who fears for his career. In fact, he's more relaxed this year amid all the speculation about his future than he was when he took over the reins just over 12 months ago.

"I'm a lot more confident in my own ability," Price said. "I feel myself and the team are in a better position than we were this time last year. I am definitely [better for the run].

"It's like any coach or player, the second time around you like to think you'll be a little bit more comfortable and a little bit more confident in your own ability and I definitely feel that presently. There's a lot more to coaching - it's not just rugby league. There's a lot that the general public don't know but I'd like to think I can handle what's thrown at me a lot better and I'm working extremely hard to do that."

Price is no stranger to playing second fiddle in red and white.

In 1996 he played in the reserve-grade grand final before the St George-Manly ARL decider, then again played in the curtain-raiser for Balmain before St George Illawarra's heartbreaking loss to Melbourne in 1999 - a match that proved to be his last after he was taken from the field on a stretcher.

While he didn't want to talk about Bellamy or the prospect of coaching this season with a pre-determined expiry date, the 35-year-old says he isn't weighed down by the pressure upon him.

In the history of St George Illawarra, no coach has missed the finals for two consecutive seasons.

So regardless of whether Bellamy chooses Wollongong over Lygon Street, this is a telling year in the career of Price. But try telling him he's under pressure.

"No, not necessarily," he said. "It's important that we play a consistent brand of football and we're playing the football we're capable of doing. Then [my future] will look after itself."

Having gone the entire 2012 season without a genuine fullback because of Tim Moltzen's decision to renege on his deal, Price is buoyed by the arrival of Gerard Beale from the Broncos.

While Brett Morris was a revelation at the back last season, he lacked the ball-playing ability to provide the Dragons with the attacking firepower to match the top sides.

Price believes the inclusion of Beale will have a huge impact in helping the competition's worst attacking side improve their offence.

"If you look at the top four teams from last year, their best players were their fullbacks," Price said. "You look at Billy Slater and Benny Barba and the job they did last year. We've brought in Gerard Beale and is really executing what we want.''

The Dragons have also bought Bronson Harrison from Canberra, Tyson Frizell from the Sharks, and rookie halfback Josh Drinkwater from Manly. The retirement of skipper Ben Hornby has left Drinkwater and veteran Nathan Fien in a two-way battle for the No.7 jersey, but Price is waiting until after the trials before determining his halfback for round one against the Storm.

"Josh will get an opportunity in the trials," he said. "We'll just have to see where he's at in terms of his development and what we see is the best starting 17 for round one. Jamie Soward's been great for him. He's taken a lot of time out to work with Josh so things are good in that department."

Price has a huge opinion of hooker Mitch Rein, who is in camp with the NSW emerging Blues in Coogee, after a breakthrough 2012 for the pint-sized dummy half. The Dragons coach considers the 22-year-old as the cornerstone of the club going forward. "I'm very happy with the way he's developed," Price said. "I hope we can build a big part of this Dragons footy club around him. He's tough and very courageous. He's one of the first players you'd pick in the trenches for battle."